OSTRANDER: Don’t overlook other ‘years of life’ lost

It’s been roughly seven weeks since the coronavirus entered Kentucky, causing citizens to wrestle with its grim realities. As of April 19th, according to the Governor’s calculations, there have been 148 COVID-19 related deaths in the Commonwealth. Using the Governor’s “Age of Death” chart and a 90-year life-span estimate (see calculations at bottom), those deaths total 2,075 “years of life” lost – over two millennia!

Certainly, ALL life is valuable, including those last, precious years of life of our elderly.

Loss of life, of course, is why Gov. Beshear exercised his authority to limit in-person contact, including the suspension of all elective medical procedures. His decision, however, has abortion providers ignoring his orders and continuing their elective medical services.

Since March 1, there have been 610 abortions at the abortion clinic in Louisville, creating a staggering 54,900 “years of life” lost – well over 50 millennia! (90 years times 610 abortions). That’s over 25 times greater than the number of years lost through virus. (By the way, Planned Parenthood has also opened in Louisville and is doing abortions. It opened in late March, DURING the COVID-19 crisis.)

These lost “years of life” were not overlooked by the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky legislature passed Senate Bill 9, a bill that, if allowed to become law, provides clear legal standing for the Attorney General to enforce Gov. Beshear’s executive order on elective medical procedures, including abortion. The Governor’s action or inaction on SB 9 will have a lasting impact on generations to come.

In addition, with SB 9 the Attorney General could look into why the two University of Louisville School of Medicine professors do ALL the surgical abortions at the Louisville abortion clinic. He could determine IF any state money was involved. (That’s against the law.) AG Cameron could also evaluate whether the medical clinic guidelines for COVID-19 are being evenly applied or if the elective abortion clinics are favored. (Heart surgeries are being postponed across the Commonwealth while the abortion clinic keeps cranking.)

The bottom line: “Gov. Beshear, please allow SB 9 to become law.” Most of all, SB 9 requires that any baby born alive will receive medical attention. That would make us wonderfully different than New York and Virginia.

And, that’s what the people of Kentucky really want – to be FOR every life.

Calculations: Estimating (generously) that “everyone would live to be 90 years of age,” the COVID-19 victims who have died have lost a total of 2,075 years of life. This is calculated using the Governor’s age-of-death chart: 30-39 one death, 40-49 four deaths, 50-59 seven deaths, 60-69 twenty-nine deaths, 70-79 thirty-four deaths, and 80+ seventy-two deaths. Abortion deaths are simply calculated by 610 (number of abortions during the same COVID-19 period) times 90 (years).